Sheeting arrangement for shoring a trench with a graduated cross section

ABSTRACT

This disclosure relates to a sheeting arrangement for shoring trenches. The sheeting arrangement is of a stepped cross section wherein deep trenches may be properly shored by means of the sheeting arrangement with the sheeting arrangement including inner and outer sheeting walls which may be progressively installed as the trench is dug after the posts have been positioned.

United States Patent [191 Krings SHEETING ARRANGEMENT FOR SHORING A TRENCl-l WITH A GRADUATED CROSS SECTION [76] Inventor: Josef Krings, l-lans-Bockler-Str. 23,

D 5138 Heinsberg, Oberbruch, Germany [22] Filed: Jan. 8, 1974 [21] Appl. No.: 431,788

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data [4 Oct. 7, 1975 1,009,312 11/1911 Jackson 61/41 R 3,159,978 12/1964 DeLillo 61/41 A 3,212,270 10/1965 Beninten.d..... 61/41 A 3,555,830 1/1971 York 61/39 3,788,086 1/1974 West 61/41 A Primary Examiner-Dennis 1... Taylor Attorney, Agent, or FirmDil1er, Brown, Ramik & Wight [57] ABSTRACT This disclosure relates to a sheeting arrangement for shoring trenches. The sheeting arrangement is of a stepped cross section wherein deep trenches may be properly shored by means of the sheeting arrangement with the sheeting arrangement including inner and outer sheeting walls which may be progressively installed as the trench is dug after the posts have been positioned.

9 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures US. Patent ()ct. 7,1975 Sheet 1 of3 3,910,053

FIG. 1

U.S. Patent Oct. 7,1975 Sheet 2 of 3 3,910,05 3

FIG. 2

FIG. 7

l mm If 11 Va! FIGB US. Patent Oct. 7,1975 Sheet 3 of3 3,910,053

FIG. 5

ILFLVIM rim 4 /6 SHEETING ARRANGEMENT FOR Sll-IORING A TRENCH WITH A GRADUATED CROSS SECTION This invention relates in general to a sheeting arrangement for a service trench etc. with graduated cross section.

It is known to provide sheeting arrangements for service trenches having a rectangular or trapezoidal cross section, which include vertical or slanted posts, sheeting walls connected therewith, which sheeting walls connect one pair of posts, one with the other, and with spreader devices pressing the sheeting walls against the side wall of the trench.

The depth of such trenches is limited because of the cross section of the trench. If one wants to dig deeper trenches, then one will be forced to use a graduated cross section The graduated trench cross section has the additional advantage in that the reinforcement can be executed more strongly close to the bottom of the trench than in the case of trenches with a constant cross section. It is true, that such a trench requires relatively long supporting posts, so that the sheeting arrangement is exposed to the danger of buckling or one must provide several sheeting arrangements which are independent of one another. In the case of this latter arrangement, the transition from one sheeting arrangement to the other is critical, since in this case a corresponding reinforcement has not been provided. A graduated cross section of a trench permits the insertion of largely vertical sheeting walls and thus also offers a larger working space and more security than rectangular or trapezoidal cross sectional trenches.

The invention relates to the problem of creating a shoring arrangement which is suitable for the sheeting of trenches of graduated cross section and which arrangement can be developed with largely similar parts simplifying the storage of the parts. At the same time, it is particularly important to assure a secure transition from one sheeting wall to another sheeting wall.

According to the invention, the solution of this problem resides in the fact that a sheeting arrangement of this invention includes posts and sheeting walls connected therewith and with there being spreader devices connecting each transverse pair of posts, and the posts of the sheeting arrangement disposed one on top of the other are arranged in common cross sectional planes and are connected with one another. As a result of the connection of the individual posts with one another, a uniformly stepped sheeting arrangement is created for which one can use largely standarized parts.

One embodiment according to the invention has the post of the sheeting arrangement, which in each instance is the top post extended below the sheeting walls and is connected with the associated post of the lower sheeting arrangement. For example, the posta can be welded together.

Another advantageous embodiment according to the invention has the posts connected with one another in a manner wherein the posts are guided slidingly posi tively within one another. This embodiment makes it possible to drive the posts into the ground displaced in their length in relation to one another and thus provides for good guidance. At the same time, the posts can be relatively short, so that no problems of transpor tantion occur. Furthermore, the sheeting arrangements can also be inserted and Withdrawn singly.

In order to be able to drive such a sheeting arrangement well into the ground, for example by means of a shovel dipper, it has been provided advantageously, that the posts guided within one another are developed as hollow box profiles in a conventional manner, and that for the driving in of the posts a U-shaped, unequal sided anvil, which can be inserted into the posts, has been provided.

With the above and other objects in view that will hereinafter appear, the nature of the invention will be more clearly understood by reference to the following detailed description, the appended claims and the several views illustrated in the accompanying drawings:

IN THE DRAWINGS:

FIG. 1 is a transverse vertical cross sectional view through a graduated trench shored in accordance with this invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary horizontal cross sectional view taken generally along the line II-II of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary horizontal cross sectional view taken generally along the line IIIIII of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view similar to FIG. 1 of a modified sheeting arrangement;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary horizontal cross sectional view taken generally along the line VV of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary horizontal cross sectional view taken generally along the line VIVI of FIG. 4; and

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view similar to FIG. 4 showing an anvil driving the sheeting.

In FIG. 1 there is illustrated a trench 1 having a stepped sheeting arrangement 2 in accordance with this invention. The sheeting arrangement includes cooperating posts 3,4 and sheeting walls 5,6 supported by the posts and by spreader devices 7 pressing the sheeting arrangements opposing one another against the walls of the trench, which spreader devices generally have contra-rotating spindles. At their ends these spreader devices have shoes 8 which are seated in the posts 3,4 and preferably are guided in slidable relation. The shoes can also be secured in place in a known manner by bolts (not shown).

The arrangement of the embodiment of FIGS. 1-3 makes it possible to connect the sheeting walls 5,6 positively with the posts 3,4 which are of steel profiles.

In the embodiment of FIGS. 1-3, the posts 3, which are outside posts, extend to the bottom of the trench. The sheeting walls 5 are secured to the upper sections 9 of the posts 3, the cross section of which is shown in FIG. 2, with the lower edges of the sheeting walls extending somewhat below the upper edges of the posts 4, in which the sheeting walls 6 of the lower section are held. Each post 4 is in front of a lower section 10 of an associated post 3 and is connected with the latter rigidly, for example by means of welding or screw fasteners. In order to avoid excessive lengths of the posts 3, these posts can be formed in a suitable manner of individual parts. In FIG. 3 there is illustrated a cross section through the lower section 10. The graduation in structural section can in principle also be repeated in the case of deeper trenches having additional sheeting walls.

Each of the posts 3,4 is provided with an inwardly opening guideway 11 extending along the inner face thereof for receiving the shoes 8 in sliding guided relation.

Each post 3,4 is of a section wherein a lateral guideway 12 is formed in the opposite sides thereof (FIGS. 2, 3 and the ends of the sheeting walls 5,6 have mounting heads 13 locked in the guideways preventing separation of the sheeting walls 5,6 from their respective posts 3,4.

In FIGS. 4-7 there is illustrated a different embodiment of the invention. In this arrangement an outside post 3 is driven into the ground only somewhat below the upper edge of the lower post 4. Each post 4 is guided slideably in the guideway 11 of the associated post 3' and is supported with its upper portion overlapping the post 3.

Each post 3',4 like in the case of the arrangement illustrated in FIGS. 1-3 is formed essentially of two I- sections welded together in side-by-side relation and to which are secured lateral angle sections 17 and has at least in part defined the guideway 11 for the shoes 8, as well as in part defining the lateral guideways 12 for the positive reception of heads 13 of the sheeting walls 5,6. Strips 18 are also welded to the I-beams and cooperate with the angle sections 17 in defining the guideways 12.

As is well known, the posts 3,4 may be forced into the ground by means of a shovel dipper. Since the inside posts 4 are accessible only with difficulty to the shovel dipper, a U-shaped anvil 14 has been provided, one of which legs is somewhat longer than the effective height of the sheeting wall 6. Such an anvil 14 is shown in FIG. 7. It is placed from above into the posts 3,4 for example in the manner as shown in FIG. 7 on transverse bolts 16 in the inside of the posts and it is driven into the ground by means of the shovel dipper or some other battering ram, schematically designated by the numeral 15.

The sheeting arrangements according to the invention permitthe necessary shifting of the spreader devices 7 in a known manner. Except for the spreader devices of the individual posts, in the case of the sheeting arrangement according to FIGS. 4-7, the sheeting arrangement can be pulled apart individually and independently of one another, whereby one could start out effectively from the inside sheeting arrangements. This is also possible if the sheeting arrangement 2 is composed, according to FIG. 1, of sheeting walls which are releasably connection with one another and the posts. If these sheeting walls are disconnected from one another, then there will result in the advantage that the lower part of the posts 3 no longer has any sheeting walls attached thereto, so that the posts 3 can be pulled easily, even if the trench at that time has already again been filled.

The guideways ll of the posts 3,4 can be made partially interrupted or modified in order to offer the possibility of inserting an additional sheeting arrangement within the trench into the lower part of the guide 3. The inside posts in that case do not have to be introduced from the upper end of the outside posts.

I claim:

1. A sheeting arrangement for shoring trenches, said sheeting arrangement being of a stepped cross section and comprising a plurality of sets of inner and outer posts, said outer post and said inner post of each set being in vertically overlapping interconnected relation, said sets of posts being in aligned pairs transversely of a trench and being spaced longitudinally thereof, upper and lower sheeting walls extending between longitudinally adjacent sets of said posts with said upper sheeting wall extending between said outer posts and said lower sheeting wall being inwardly offset from said upper sheeting wall and extending between said inner posts, and spreader devices extending transversely between transversely aligned pairs of said sets of posts for firmly retaining said posts against side walls of the trench.

2. A sheeting arrangement according to claim 1 wherein said outer posts extend below said upper sheeting walls and are connected to said inner posts below said upper sheeting walls.

3. A sheeting arrangement according to claim 2 wherein the inner, and outer posts of each set are welded together.

4. A sheeting arrangement according to claim 2 wherein the inner and outer posts of each set have cooperating interlocking means retaining the inner and outer posts of each set in interlocked sliding engagement with one another.

5. A sheeting arrangement according to claim 1 wherein the inner and outer posts of each set have cooperating interlocking means retaining the inner and outer posts of each set in interlocking sliding engagement with one another.

6. A sheeting arrangement according to claim 5 wherein said posts are in the form of hollow box sections, and a U-shaped anvil having unequal length legs is provided for simultaneously driving inner and outer post of a set.

7. A sheeting arrangement according to claim 1 wherein said upper sheeting walls-vertically overlap said inner posts.

8. A sheeting arrangement according to claim 1 wherein said inner and outer posts are connected together as extensions of one another, and said inner and outer posts and said upper and lower sheeting walls are in vertically overlapping relation.

9. A sheeting arrangement according to claim 8 wherein the connection between each pair of inner and outer posts is a vertically sliding connection. 

1. A sheeting arrangement for shoring trenches, said sheeting arrangement being of a stepped cross section and comprising a plurality of sets of inner and outer posts, said outer post and said inner post of each set being in vertically overlapping interconnected relation, said sets of posts being in aligned pairs transversely of a trench and being spaced longitudinally thereof, upper and lower sheeting walls extending between longitudinally adjacent sets of said posts with said upper sheeting wall extending between said outer posts and said lower sheeting wall being inwardly offset from said upper sheeting wall and extending between said inner posts, and spreader devices extending transversely between transversely aligned pairs of said sets of posts for firmly retaining said posts against side walls of the trench.
 2. A sheeting arrangement according to claim 1 wherein said outer posts extend below said upper sheeting walls and are connected to said inner posts below said upper sheeting walls.
 3. A sheeting arrangement according to claim 2 wherein the inner and outer posts of each set are welded together.
 4. A sheeting arrangement according to claim 2 wherein the inner and outer posts of each set have cooperating interlocking means retaining the inner and outer posts of each set in interlocked sliding engAgement with one another.
 5. A sheeting arrangement according to claim 1 wherein the inner and outer posts of each set have cooperating interlocking means retaining the inner and outer posts of each set in interlocking sliding engagement with one another.
 6. A sheeting arrangement according to claim 5 wherein said posts are in the form of hollow box sections, and a U-shaped anvil having unequal length legs is provided for simultaneously driving inner and outer post of a set.
 7. A sheeting arrangement according to claim 1 wherein said upper sheeting walls vertically overlap said inner posts.
 8. A sheeting arrangement according to claim 1 wherein said inner and outer posts are connected together as extensions of one another, and said inner and outer posts and said upper and lower sheeting walls are in vertically overlapping relation.
 9. A sheeting arrangement according to claim 8 wherein the connection between each pair of inner and outer posts is a vertically sliding connection. 